Carla Sigler is Back? Apparently!

The feeling of EVIL being nearby that I have had for the last month or so has been explained by the fact that malicious and vindictive Carla Sigler has a Facebook page that lists The EVIL ONE as being in Waco, Texas.

However, as pathological liars like to play games with people, it may or may not be true as to her location.

Carla Sigler's physical location really doesn't matter, as God--the God to whom Vengeance belongeth--knows exactly where she and her evil friends are at all times. His All-Knowing Eye is always on the Evildoers and He will deal with them in His own fashion, time, and place.

One of the main lessons of the Bible is that one should always do Good Works, as the Eye of the Lord God is always on you. The Lord Knows All and Sees All---- and Vengeance belongs to Him, the Lord God, and not to the Victims of the Evildoers, even though the Evil may be egregious beyond belief--such as purposely harming a child to gain revenge against an adult.

Many perpetrators return to the scene of their crime--to gloat or review their handiwork or to wreak more havoc. In my opinion, Carla Sigler's returning to the scene of her crime will finish what she started in the name of Revenge.

Carla Sigler's return will be the final nail in the coffin of the once-wonderful little school and little town she destroyed.

Let God's Will be done.

Show Thyself, O Lord God. I ask it in Your name, Lord.

Thank you, Lord!

Superintendent Carla Sigler and the Banned Valedictorian

I have been contacted by many people wanting to read the ViolatedRights.com website story about my niece Kaitlan Head, the Valedictorian who was banned by School Superintendent Carla Sigler. Folks are telling me the article and the comments had been e-mailed to them, but they could not read them because the website was frequently down.

Therefore, I have decided to post the ViolatedRights.com article and the attached comments about the Banned Valedictorian on my blog. The following is the article from the newspaper with the attached comments.

(Note: ViolatedRights.com has many other interesting and unusual stories on the website! Holt Harrison is one of the good guys who wear the white hats, pointing out injustices and violations of rights that are occurring in America today. ViolatedRights.com is definitely worth the read!)

***The following article appeared in the Juy 20th, 2007 issue of the Bosque County News***


GAP VALEDICTORIAN BANNED AS SCHOOL BOARD DISPUTE CONTINUES

By Evan Moore, Bosque County News: CRANFILLS GAP, TEXAS





The embattled Cranfills Gap school district saw the latest in a series of controversial events on Friday, May 25th, 2007, when the board voted to ban the high school valedictorian from graduation exercises. Supporting a decision by Cranfills Gap School Superintendent Carla Sigler, the school board decided in a special meeting to force Valedictorian Kaitlan Head to attend DAEP classes, a status that prevented her from attending graduation exercises on Saturday, May 26th, 2007, or making her valedictory address.

The board action came after weeks of controversy in the school district and followed a series of events that began on Wednesday, May 9th, 2007, when Head and salutatorian Sarah Sellers became embroiled in an altercation at the school. According to third party accounts, the argument began at the school that day over a derogatory statement Head wrote about Sellers on a piece of notebook paper. The argument repotedly escalated to a shoving and pushing match and ended with Sellers being struck with a ballpoint pen held by Head.

From that point the severity of the incident was not clear. Neither police nor medical personnel were called. There was no mention that Sellers sought medical attention. School officials did not immediately notify the parents of either girl and both girls returned to school the next day to take TAKS tests. The following day, however, concern over the incident began to grow.

The day after the altercation, said Charles Head, Kaitlan Head's father, he received notice from Sigler that his daughter would be suspended for a day. Later, he said, that changed to having Kaitlan's status as a transfer student (because she lives in Meridian) revoked. "The second time I talked to Sigler, it had gone to three days suspension and DAEP (Disciplinary Alternative Education Program).

On Monday, May 14th, 2007, six days after the altercation, Sellers filed a criminal complaint and Kaitlan Head was ticketed for a Class C misdemeanor assault and told to appear before a justice of the peace later this summer. From there, Head said, the threats of disciplinary action increased. Head was accused of aggravated assault, he said, then of making terroristic threats to another student (other than Sellers) and was told she would be arrested if she set foot on campus or attended any school-related event.

Finally, he said, she was informed by Sigler that--if she did not attend DAEP classes, she would not be allowed to graduate, a move that would have ended scholarships she had already applied and been approved for. "My daughter's never been in any trouble all the time she was in school," said Head. "Now, within days, she went from being homecoming queen, valedictorian, and all-around-good person to something evil. What she did was wrong, and I'm not saying she shouldn't be punsihed, but this was ridiculous! And they weren't doing anything to the other girl!"

Head filed a grievance and was told by Sigler that it would be taken up at the school board's next scheduled meeting on Friday, June 1st, 2007, a date that would have fallen after graduation and after the period in which Kaitlan Head was ordered to attend DAEP. Head responded by attaining attorney John Cullar of Waco and, after hearing from Cullar, the board agreed to hear Head's case in the called meeting on Friday, May 25th, 2007.

At the outset of that meeting, Board President Kenney Wiese attempted to close the session, despite Charles Head's assertions that it be open. Aftter hearing an objection from Cullar and being told by the Bosque County News that the paper would file a complaint for violation of open meetings laws, Wiese conferred with the board's attorney and agreed to open the session.

During the meeting, Cullar argued that because the charge against Kaitlan Head was filed only as a Class C misdemeanor by the Bosque County Sheriff's Office, under both state guidelines and the Cranfills Gap ISD's own policy, the girl qualified for a three-day suspension and nothing more. Sigler, and by proxy the school board, would be violating both state and school policy if they invoked harsher punishment. "Kaitlan Head has learned the consequences of violating the rules," said Cullar. "This board needs to learn the consequences as well."

The board, however, voted to "uphold" Sigler's actions, requiring the girl to attend DAEP classes and preventing her from participating in graduation exercises, but not to revoke her valedictory status or withhold her diploma. In reality, however, Head has never attended a DAEP class, nor will she. Because she is allowed ten absences under school policy and has none on her record, she will not participate in the disciplinary classes and her absence will not be counted against her.

"It's a blow and it's cost us, but it's better than it was going to be," said Charles Head. The strange series of events comes on the heels of months of strife in the district. Sigler attempted to revoke the contract of Science teacher Michelle Dubay. That failed after Dubay retained an attorney and threatened to appeal any action against her. Sigler then tendered her resignation, effective in June, but not before students staged a walkout of classes in support of the superintendent---a move that Sigler sanctioned by declaring an official "play day".

At the heart of the discord is a rift on the board in which board member Sue Lee (Kaitlan Head's aunt) and former board members Susan Ward and Jerry Jennings were pitted against members Jeff Rose, Kathie Witte, Shelly Stuart and Wiese. Ward and Jennings were defeated in the May 12th election, leaving Lee as the only dissident on the board.

Relations between her and the rest of the board have so soured that other board members have read statements criticizing her at several recent meetings. Friday's meeting was no exception and began withWiese reading a letter from board attorney Dennis Eichelbaum, citing Lee for "inappropriate behavior" for talking about board actions to others.

Lee said she believed the severity of Kaitlan Head's punishment was due to the valedictorian's relationship to Lee. "It's a direct result of that," she said.

****** End of newspaper article****

The following comments were left on the Comment Section below the article:

07-2o-2007: Comment #1 by Dorothy Powell...............

Seems some things were certainly done maliciously to the valedictorian. How sad.

07-20-2007: Comment #2 by Dorothy Powell.............

Thank you, Holt Harrison, for shining a light onto these kinds of injustices. The valedictorian is my niece also. This has been an unbelievable ordeal for her and her family. Thanks also to Kaitlan's wonderful family and friends who have steadfastly supported her through these tough times. Even after her own horrendous experience in education, Kaitlan still wants to be a teacher. The sad part is that this excessively harsh and illegal punishment was condoned and alllowed by the school board, even though--due to her perfect attendance---Kaitlan would never have had to attend DAEP anyway. Sometimes folks personal agendas get in the way of what is right and just. It is especially apalling when a child is harmed for the purpose of retaliating against an adult.

07-22-2007: Comment #3 by Brenda Wooten..............

It is scary to see what the school board is capable of when they don't know the law and instead make decisions based on personal gain.

08-11-2007: Comment #4 by Jason Sulack................

I think Kaitlan has some problems and needs to get some anger counseling. I don't think she needs to be a teacher with her anger issues.

08-11-2007: Comment #5 by Dorothy Powell............

Thanks for your comment, Jason. I am Kaitlan's aunt, Dorothy Powell. Kaitlan may become an architect, scientist, or teacher. Sarah wants to be a lawyer. Both are very talented with much potential to do great things in the world. Both plan to go to Tarleton.

You are correct that anger was involved and not only on Kaitlan's part. What the article does not state is that the night before the fight, the superintendent had given the Highest Academic Achievement Award to a favorite boy student with the fourth highest grades, who just happened to be the son of her best friend who is also a board member. (The superintendent had also publicly given this same boy $100 for his birthday, which could have been construed as a bribe of a school board member--his mother.)

Everyone ---students, teachers, and especially parents ---were astounded and upset that there were not any awards for the valedictorian or the salutatorian at the banquet. In fact, there was not even a mention of them for having the highest grades in their class--an honor both girls had worked hard for. The girls were friends and enjoyed each other's company, as they were often the only students in the class--very small school--only ten seniors in 2007--and they had planned to exchange graduation gifts.

Just before the fight with Sarah, a boy in the class---who has done this from first grade---was calling Kaitlan "FAT" and other unkind things--actually what he was doing was bullying, which is very common in school settings. (I am an educator, and it happens a lot--the ones doing it call it "teasing, playing, etc.) Kaitlan had also heard that some of her classmates didn't want her going on the Senior Trip--more money for them.) So I am sure Kaitlan was upset and probably Sarah was too.

I am certainly not excusing Kaitlan or Sarah's behavior. Punishment should have been meted to both girls, as Sarah struck the first blow with a book--but Sarah was not punished at all--not even sent to the office! No one believed Kaitlan should not be punished--just that the punishment did not fit the crime for either girl. Both girls apologized to each other the next morning when they both came back to take a test in the same room.

Sarah reluctantly filed the disorderly conduct charge (fighting) at the behest of her father, who was urged to do so by the superintendent five days later, after Sarah got back from the Senior trip. Kaitlan did not get to go on the Senior Trip, Honors Field Day, Baccalaureate, or participate in any way. Kaitlan had always loved school and had perfect attendance her Senior year, even though she drove 14 miles from Meridian just to get to school and worked a full-time job at Clifton.

If her father had not had the $4,000 attorney fee, Kaitlan would not have received her diploma or graduated at all. Kaitlan's hearing for the Class C misdemeanor assault was August 2nd, 2007. Sarah was not present. I'm not sure, but I think the prosecuting attorney heard Sarah's taped account of the fight from Kaitlan's school hearing about it. Whatever the reason, he stated that he felt it was a case of two high school girls acting like 12-year-olds and asked that the case be dismissed. However, it had to come before the judge as already on the docket. The judge did dismiss it and now both girls can go on with their lives, hopefully with hard lessons learned.

You can read more about it online at the Bosque County News--- August 8th, 2007 issue in the Archives, Front Page--titled "Criminal Charges Dismissed Against Gap Valedictorian". It may be on ViolatedRights.com soon, as takes a few days for the newspaper to put it online. I also wrote a Letter to the Editor that you can read in the Bosque County News--the June 6th, 2007 Issue in the Archives, Page 5---for more detail.

Anger is a very human emotion. In the Bible, God is angry more than 500 times, and we are made in his image. It is a fact that you are gong to be angry at some point in your life. Hopefully--for both girls--maturity will bring the lesson that you CANNOT control what happens to you, but you CAN control how you react to it.

As for the superintendent: I have met two people in this world like her----One is in prison for life without parole, and the other one was murdered.

08-12-2007: Comment #6 by Jason Sulack..........

There was a issue in the newspaper that was released almost a month later talking about the incident. From the sounds of it, someone is trying to stir the pot. The problem in our schools today, the students are constantly at war with each other. There is no need for tearing anyone down. However, stabbing someone in the eye with a pen is not gonna fix any problems--it's just gonna cause more.

There is no way to take back what is done, but there is no need to bring it back up. Leave the past in the past and worry about the future. As regards my first comment, it is not Kaitlan's fault, but it is the parents fault. Whether television is involved--which it probably is--that's Hollywood. In the real world, people get hurt and both are lucky nothing permanent, cause Kaitlan might not have gotten off so easy. ***So, all you students out there, next time you think of doing something like that, Don't. Talk to the person. If that don't work, talk to someone.***

08-13-2007: Comment #7 by Dorothy Powell.........

Jason, I wondered if you were local, and you are--as your comment mirrors a Letter to the Editor written by Buster Mangham of Clifton that was a personal attack against Kaitlan and falsely accused her of attacking, stabbing, and causing an eye injury to Sarah----NONE of that occurred----THERE WAS NO ATTACK, NO STABBING, AND NO EYE INJURY!

If you want to now the truth, you need to listen to the recorded statement of Sarah's that the superintendent read in the May 16th, 2007 school hearing. You can obtain a copy of that tape from several individuals or go to the Gap school and get a copy under the Open Records Act. You can hear it from the superintendent's own mouth that there was NOT an attack, NOT a stabbing, and NOT an eye injury.

As the boy who broke it up said--It was just a fight and it got blown way out of proportion. Kaitlan happened to have a pen in her hand, just like the book in Sarah's hands which was used to strike the first blow. It escalated into a fight when Sarah hit Kaitlan several times with the book that happenend to be in her hands. You are forgetting that it takes TWO to make a fight. So, why didn't Sarah --rather than using physical force to settle it--just get the teacher involved? I hjave wondered why the teacher was not involved. This type of altercation is very common in school, and it is up to the teacher to make sure it doesn't escalate into physical violence, as children of this age do not have the best judgment---that's why an adult is supposed to be in charge in a school setting.

You are correct that it is better not to use force to settle things; however, force was used by BOTH girls, with Sarah making the choice to strike the first blow. And why was there NO PUNISHMENT at all--not even being sent to the office--for Sarah, as she was involved in the fight also?

THAT IS THE PROOF THAT KAITLAN'S PUNISHMENT WAS PURELY MALICIOUS RETALIATION BY THE SUPERINTENDENT.

Both girls should have been punished with the appropriate punishment, but ONLY ONE was punished , and that was to retaliate against an adult. I don't hear you blaming Sarah's parents for her anger or blaming televison. Do you think only Kaitlan was angry???

The way this was handled is SHAMEFUL! I don't think Cranfills Gap deserves a school, as it is quite possible other children will be treated in the same manner if it is in this school board's best interests.

As to Buster's Letter, the Clifton Record said his facts were verified by four people, but were not verified from a police report or by eyewitnesses, meaning his facts were verified by HEARSAY AND RUMOR. I was incredulous that the Clifton paper would print his accusations---as they were not presented as his own opinion or allegations , but as actual, factual accusations. I asked them if I wrote a letter with accusations that Deborah Matthews, their reporter--or anyone for that matter--had murdered someone, if I could verify it-- even if it wasn't from a police report or eyewitnesses-- but I could find four people to verify it, their paper would print my accusations? The Clifton Record had no comment except that four people had verified Buster's "facts". I was incredulous, as printing those false accusations were the height of irresponsible journalism and exposed both Buster and the paper to legal liability for a libel lawsuit. That's why I no longer read the Clifton Record.

As for forgetting ---moving past it---let bygones be bygones--nothng to see here---NOT JUST YET! Too much has happened and too many people have been hurt. Though she compromised herself and has moved on, the STENCH of CARLA SIGLER is still on the school and the town. Public threats have been made by public officials--which was only one of the things I spoke of when I talked to the Bosque County District Attorney's office about my concerns. The best interests of the school and the town were pushed aside by the superintendent and certain school board members.

I BELIEVE THAT ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES, and THAT NEGATIVE ACTIONS HAVE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES. The truth about many things is just now coming out, and people are going to be held accountable for their actions. It will be a miracle if the Cranfills Gap school --and consequently, the town--can survive. And that is a shame.

08-13-2007: Comment #8 by Dorothy Powell.............

I forgot to mention that my Rebuttal to Buster Mangham's letter can be read online in the Bosque County News Issue July 4th, 2007 Archives...page 5. No one is trying to "stir the pot"--just want folks--especially adults who should know better---to be held accountable for their actions and for the truth to be known. Kaitlan has been held accountable and paid a malicious, terrible price, but survived and can get on with her life. Now it is time for others to be held accountable.

END OF COMMENTS

My Childhood Memory of the 1953 Waco Tornado


My grandfather, John William (Billy) Head, retired in 1957 as Assistant Superintendent of Cameron Park in Waco, Texas. Billy and his family had lived beside Cameron Park since 1921, near the corner of North Fourth Street and Herring Avenue, the entrance to the park.

In 1948, my daddy, Ralston Cecil Head (nicknamed Goober), built a small frame house at 2220 North Fourth Street ---for his own family--- right next to the old post-Civil War-era frame house at 2224 North Fourth Street--the house that so many of the Heads had lived in.

After his return from World War II, Daddy became a carpenter and was an excellent builder. In 1953, Daddy was Head Carpenter for W. B. Lenamon Construction Company. I was six almost seven years old on May 11th, 1953. My little sister, Sue Ellen Head, was almost five years old, and my little brother, Charles Lee Head, was not born until 1958.

On that muggy day--May 11th, 1953--due to expected bad weather--Daddy had come home from work early.

I remember about 4:30pm of that day walking with my mother, Marie Ellison Head, the short distance from our house to the corner of Herring Avenue and North Fourth Street. Daddy had driven downtown to get his brother, my Uncle Odie Head, who had a garage at Second and Washington--not far from the McLennan County Courthouse-- and Mama wanted to see if we could see them coming. We stared down Fourth Street, amazed at the reports of developing weather we had heard on our radio.

As I was just a young child at the time, it was many years later that I realized the immense concern Mama had of the danger Daddy and others could be in by being in downtown Waco at that exact moment in time.

As we waited, the weather conditions became terrifying. The sky filled with low-hanging, dark-green, threatening clouds. The air was so heavy Mama and I could scarcely breathe. The hair stood up on the backs of our necks. I remember how scared I was.

Mama and I had just gotten in the door of our little house when the storm hit. A few minutes later, Daddy and Uncle Odie drove down the alley and into the driveway behind our house, luckily safe and sound.

Later, all the Head men went downtown to see what they could do to help. Daddy said the destruction was almost complete and reminded him of scenes from World War II.

One hundred and fourteen people died, hundreds were injured, and millions of dollars in property were destroyed as a result of the 250-mile-an-hour winds of the savage F-5 tornado.

The 1953 Waco Tornado is one of those life-changing events---like the 1962 assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy---that will remain with you forever, wherein you will always remember where you were and what you were doing when it occurred.

Today, May 11th, 2009, is the Fifty-Sixth Anniversary of the unforgettable 1953 Waco Tornado.

Kaitlan's Story is Online Again!

Kaitlan's Story about being the Cranfills Gap, Texas, Banned Valedictorian that was published on the website ViolatedRights.com is online once again!

The website had been down for a while but is up and running today. Over 11,000 people have read Kaitlan's Story as well as the extremely interesting comments accompanying the story.

You can find the website with the article and comments about Kaitlan by doing a search for "banned valedictorian kaitlan", then click on the website ViolatedRights.com. I have been told many times that it is an appalling but fascinating story---------- and I agree!

It is quite sad that there are evil people in the world who will purposely harm a child to gain revenge on an adult.

I truly believe that God will take care of these evildoers.

I just hope He lets me know the when, where, and what of it when He does.

As I have said before and will say again, I have met only two people like the despicable Carla Sigler------one is in prison for life without parole, and the other one was murdered.

Again, Thank You, America, for reading about the injustice done to Kaitlan, a child, for revenge against an adult.

Thank you, America, for Caring!

ViolatedRights.com is UP! --- HOORAY!!

The website ViolatedRights.com is up and running again!

As of today, April 4th, 2009, at 6pm CST, the Article from the newspaper and the accompanying Comments about my niece Kaitlan Head--the Banned Valedictorian--that is posted on the website ViolatedRights.com has been viewed by 11,295 people! The website had been unavailable for the longest time due to the bandwidth being exceeded, but is up and going now.

As I have said before, Kaitlan's Story of being the Banned Valedictorian and all the happenings resulting from that event are a most compelling- human-interest-appalling True Story.

Many have contacted me to ask if her story is really true--Did this really happen?-- as it seems just incredible that something like this could happen.

Sad to say: YES, it really did happen!

Kaitlan is doing well. She is still working as an assistant manager at the local Sonic and making more money than most adults in Texas make in a year. Kaitlan turned TWENTY YEARS OLD in December, 2008, and it is not a stretch to say she will more than likely own her own business some day not that far away. Not bad for just a young kid!

Kaitlan is so very fortunate to have a great job that she enjoys and that pays really well...as opposed to those kids now in college who will graduate and be looking for the good-paying job that may not be there or will not pay much in this terrible economy.

And Kaitlan is so much more fortunate than the kid on the street looking for a job--any kind of job! For that matter, she is more fortunate than many adults in the working world who are also out of work and looking for a job--any job!

I am pleased people are reading Kaitlan's Story.

Many have told me that the attached comments are what make it such a fascinating read--that and knowing it is a true story and that it really did happen. Sadly, it could have been anyone's child who was treated so shamefully.

Folks are reading Kaitlan's Story of being the Banned Valedictorian and then e-mailing it to their friends for them to read. Just type in violatedrights.com--once on the website, scroll down about halfway, then click on the headline, "Gap Valedictorian Banned..." at the far left of the page. That will take you to Kaitlan's Story.

School Superintendent Carla Sigler--- who purposely harmed Kaitlan for revenge against her aunt, my sister Sue Lee, a school board member in the little town---is a bird of a different feather. Thankfully, people of her ilk are few and far between in this already-cruel world.

As I have said before and will say again:

I have known only two people in this world like Carla Sigler----and both were men. One is in prison for life without parole, and the other one was murdered.

Thank you, America, for caring.

Thank you for reading Kaitlan's Story.

More!

Goodness Gracious!

Quite a few folks who want to read about my niece Kaitlan Head, the small town valedictorian illegally banned by School Superintendent Carla Sigler from her own graduation, have contacted me. I had written about Kaitlan and her graduation experience in some of my previous blog entries. However, the article and comments on the website ViolatedRights.com that I had recommended reading is temporarily unavailable, due to the bandwidth limit being exceeded. That article had been read by almost 11,000 folks before it became temporarily unavailable. (Could be back on line any time now---keep checking!)

Folks wanting to know more of Kaitlan's Story can Google "carla sigler" to find many more interesting comments and articles relating to Kaitlan, the Banned Valedictorian. Kaitlan's Story is an unusual, interesting, and compelling TRUE human interest story with the age-old ingredients of anger, revenge, retaliation, and self-interest on the part of many of the participants.

Kaitlan's Story proves the old adage, "Actions have consequences." It is true that for every action--good or bad--there are consequences. Sometimes those consequences are surprising, shocking, and unexpected---for all parties involved---both victims and perpetrators.

As I have said before and will say again: I have met only two people like Carla Sigler and both were men. One is in prison for life, and the other one was murdered.

Kaitlan's Story is a classic, fascinating tale of GOOD versus EVIL and folks not being allowed to get away with doing despicable, shameful things. Reprehensible people mistakenly thought they could do whatever they wanted to do and not be held accountable. Much to their surprise, that is not at all what happened.

A lot of people have asked me if this incredible, appalling story really happened. The answer to that question is, "Sadly, it really did happen." I say "sadly" because not only were so many adults and children harmed by Carla Sigler and the small town schoolboard, but the little town as well.

Sadly---due to the controversy as a consequence of these actions--- the little school and the little town will never be the same.

And that is a shame.

Gone Fifteen Years Today

My beloved mother, Marie Ellison Head, died fifteen years ago today. Marie's baby sister, Nadine Ellison Kisner, always said that Ralston Cecil Head ---Marie's husband and my Daddy--- came back to get her.

Daddy died on March 9th, 1989, and Mama lived without him five years almost to the day. They were married right at fifty years and were an integral part of each others lives. I am so glad I moved back to Waco in 1985 and was able to be in their lives as an adult and not just as their child.

Marie and Ralston's collective wisdom was something I never really appreciated until I was grown. Marie was born in 1921 and Ralston in 1917, and both were children of the Great Depression. Only as an adult did I realize how much I had learned from them about surviving and about life in general. They were the "shoulders to lean on" when times got really tough for me and my family at trying and challenging points in our lives. I don't know what I would have done without the love and support--sometimes even financial support--of Mama and Daddy.

Not a day goes by that I don't wish they were here, so I could seek their advice or discuss the things happening in the world--Just talk to them! But I have to admit I am glad they were not here to see how shamefully my niece and their grandaughter, Kaitlan Head, the Banned Valedictorian, was treated by the school superintendent, Carla Sigler, and the small town schoolboard.

It would have broken Mama and Daddy's hearts to see how Kaitlan was treated, and not just because it was their grandaughter, but because despicable things were done intentionally to harm a child. They would have been outraged and hurt that anyone would do such awful things to any child.

Carla Sigler and the schoolboard caused Kaitlan harm to get even with my sister, Sue Lee, Kaitlan's aunt and also a schoolboard member. All the things done to Kaitlan-- a child-- were done for REVENGE against an adult, and they even broke the law several times to do it!

It is a good thing my Daddy was not here to see it, as there would have been Hell To Pay!

Mama was a sweet, softspoken little lady who would have suffered greatly and probably prayed for the sinners and criminals that had harmed Kaitlan.

But not my Daddy!

Daddy had been a Medic in the Army in World War II. He spent three years in the bloody North Africa Campaign and in Italy. As a Medic, he never carried a gun, yet he had THIRTEEN BATTLE STARS. Daddy was a Surgeon's Technician, a fancy name for one who cut off wounded soldiers' arms and legs to save their lives. Daddy was a pretty tough guy--someone few people had the nerve to cross, especially when he was a younger man.

Daddy abhorred violence but could become very angry at injustices. He certainly would have thought what was done to Kaitlan was an injustice. It's a given that if Daddy had been a younger man and been alive at the time , Carla Sigler and that derelict schoolboard would have been wiping the blood from themselves----- if they were still living, that is.

Daddy did not suffer Fools easily, and he really hated Assholes!

I have known only two people in this world like Carla Sigler, and both of those despicable people were men---One of them is in prison for life, and the other one was murdered!

Today, March 4th, 2009, Mama has been gone fifteen years. In a few days--March 9th, 2009--Daddy will have been gone twenty years. It seems like only yesterday that we were all together, and LIFE was doggone good, having Mama and Daddy there to turn to in times of trouble as well as times of prosperity. Now we --Ralston and Marie's children-- are the "Old Folks", and our children turn to us for wisdom and support.

And that is the way it is supposed to be.

NOTE: You can read Kaitlan's Story on the website ViolatedRights.com, which was down for a while but is back up and running now. Kaitlan's true and compelling story and the accompanying Comments have been read a total of 10,700 times as of today. It please me greatly that Kaitlan's Story has been read almost 8,000 times in a less-than-four-month period! Apparently readers are e-mailing it to their friends, for them to also read. Many have said the Comments are what make it such fascinating reading, and I agree! Just do a search and type in "banned valedictorian kaitlan" to find the story on ViolatedRights.com.

The sad thing is that everything that was done to cause harm to a child was done intentionally and for Revenge!

The scary thing is that it could have been anyone's child that was treated so shamefully.

Thank you, America, for caring!

An UPDATE on March 13th, 2009: The website ViolatedRights.com is currently offline temporarily, due to a spammer problem. Should be back online soon. Check back often to see if Kaitlan's Story is able to be read now. Definitely worth the read!

Reading Kaitlan's Story

Wow!!!! Back in July 2007 , I put a newspaper article that ran in the local newspaper, the Bosque County News, dated July 20th, 2007, on the website ViolatedRights.com to highlight the malicious injustice done to my niece Kaitlan Head, the banned valedictorian. There are also some very interesting comments at the end of the article.

Obviously, there are quite a few folks who find this human interest TRUE story very compelling, as the story and the comments have been viewed 2,888 times as of today, November 14th, 2008, almost a year and a half after the fiasco occurred!

WOW!!! Again, WOW!!!

Apparently, the story is being e-mailed to friends of folks who have read about the banned valedictorian and are passing the story along for others to also read. You can easily find this newspaper article and the comments by doing a search for "Kaitlan Head" or "banned valedictorian Kaitlan" and selecting the article on ViolatedRights.com or going to the website ViolatedRights.com and doing a search for "banned valedictorian" on the website itself.

Update on Kaitlan:

Kaitlan has been so successful in her job as one of the managers of the local Sonic, that she has chosen--at this time-- to continue to make more money than most adults in Central Texas are making per year, rather than quitting work and going to college as she had originally planned before the idiot from Alaska, Carla Sigler, did her vicious deeds and maliciously derailed Kaitlan's life and college plans.

What is it with idiots from Alaska? In my opinion, it appears that Sarah Palin, Alaska's governor, has the same vindictive, law-breaking, pathological liar- mindset as Carla Sigler! Must be something in the frozen Alaskan tundra water!

Kaitlan has both worked and went to school successfully and on her own initiative since a very early age. Kaitlan has an excellent head for business, as well as being extremely intelligent, so it is no surprise that she is a success and a high-achiever, no matter what she does.

It is not beyond the realm of possibility that one day Kaitlan will purchase her own successful Sonic franchise! Pretty good for a young lady who will turn TWENTY years old in December!!!!

The great thing is that Kaitlan will be able to pay for her own college education whenever she decides the time is right for her to get her college degree... Or not--that will be Kaitlan's decision.

I guess this proves that every cloud has a silver lining, though there will never be Mercy for Carla Sigler and the despicable things she did to harm a child for revenge.

I have known two people like Carla Sigler ---one is in prison for life without parole, and the other one was murdered.

It is very gratifying to realize that so many folks are reading the story of Kaitlan, and then are deciding to share it with their friends, as it could be anyone's child that Carla Sigler's disgraceful and shameful vendetta harmed.

Thank you, America, for caring.


UPDATE on January 16th, 2009:

I have to say WOW, again! I am amazed that---- as of January 16th, 2009, at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time ----- Kaitlan's Story of being the Banned Valedictorian and the Attached Comments on the website ViolatedRights.com have been viewed a total of 6,870 times!

That means that------as of November 14th, 2008, a timeframe of barely two months----- 3,982 people have read this TRUE STORY of the malicious and despicable things done to Kaitlan by School Superintendent Carla Sigler and the small town School Board to obtain revenge against an adult.

Again, THANK YOU, AMERICA, FOR CARING!!!!

UPDATE as of February 2nd, 2009:

WOW!! WOW!!! Again and again, WOW!!! So many folks have been viewing Kaitlan's Story of being the Banned Valedictorian on the website ViolatedRights.com that --apparently-- more bandwidth is needed, as the site comes up as temporarily offline! This happened once before, and it wasn't long before the site was back up and running.

As of yesterday night at 9:30pm CST , Kaitlan's Story of being the Banned Valedictorian had been viewed 8,806 times. On November 14th, 2008, Kaitlan's Story had been viewed only 2,888 times. That means that almost 6,000 people have read Kaitlan's Story in two and a half months!!

Kaitlan's Story on ViolatedRights.com is quite intriguing and a TRUE human interest story with some controversial comments at the end of the article. Hopefully, the site will be back up soon.

You can read the same article that ran in the newspaper, The Bosque County News-- that is on VilolatedRights.com-- at the website Texas Zero Tolerance also. Just Google "banned valedictorian kaitlan" to find it and go to the hompage of TZT (Texas Zero Tolerance) and look at Reported Cases. Though the TZT website does not have any of those interesting comments with it, it is still interesting reading!

As I said before, it could be anyone's child that was harmed to get revenge against an adult.

Again, THANK YOU, America, for caring!

NOTE: The website ViolatedRights.com (that was temporarily down on February 2nd, 2009) is BACK UP and running! The story of Kaitlan Head--- my niece and the Banned Valedictorian--- and the accompanying Comments have now been viewed 8,993 times as of this morning, February 4th, 2009, at 7:00am CST. The article and comments have been flagged as a Favorite by 71 people.

Sadly, this could have been anyone's child that was treated so shamefully. Again, Thank You, America, for caring enough to read Kaitlan's Story.

ANOTHER UPDATE: I vowed to celebrate when the number of folks reading the story of my niece, Kaitlan Head ( the Banned Valedictorian whose story is on the website ViolatedRights.com ) reached 10,000. Well, it is time to have a heckuva Party!

On February 14th, 2009, Kaitlan's Story had been read a total of 10,402 times!!! On November 14th, 2008, Kaitlan's Story had been read 2,888 times since I put it on the site in July 2008, a timeframe of sixteen months. Now, Kaitlan's Story has been read by 7,514 people in a three-month period.

I wanted to tell the truth of what had happened and about the outrageous injustice done to Kaitlan by Carla Sigler and the small town school board who harmed a child to get revenge on an adult. Kaitlan's Story is interesting on its own, but the comments by the "yokel" and me are what make it fascinating reading. Sadly, this could have happened to anyone's child.

Again, Thank You, America, for caring!!!

Monday, February 16th, 2008:

Footnote: Due to so many folks reading Kaitlan's Story at one time, you may get a notice that the Bandwidth Limit has been exceeded and cannot be accessed at this time. Please try again, as this unique story and the comments are well worth the wait!

Again, Thanks, America, for caring!

UPDATE ON MARCH 2, 2009:

I just checked the now up-and-running-again website, ViolatedRights.com, and it is just totally awesome that so many people are reading Kaitlan's Story! The total amount of views as of today are 10,720, with 75 people marking it as a favorite! A huge amount of people have read this true story and the accompanying comments since November 14th, 2008, when the total views were only 2,888. That is a stunning amount of people-- 7,832---to have read Kaitlan's Story in just three and a half months--especially with the website down several weeks!

Kaitlan's Story is a fascinating and compelling TRUE story--the scary part is that it could happen to anyone's child. I have been told the comments are what make it an exceptional read. I would have to agree!

Again, please let me say THANK YOU, AMERICA for caring!

Blast From the Past & A Little Ranch Gal Journal

Since moving my journal to Blogger and renaming it--from Blast from the Past to A LittleRanch Gal's Journal, many folks tell me they are unable to find it. So if you are looking for something I have written about, here are some of the subjects I have covered in previous posts:

Cranfills Gap, Cranfills Gap School, Cranfills Gap School Board, Bosque County District Attorney, Carla Sigler, Superintendent Carla Sigler, Kenny Wiese, Jeff Rose, Shelly Stuart, Kathie Witte, Virgil Tindall, Jackie Ray Sorrels, Katie Rose Glenn, Janet Cox, Sandy McMahan, Kevin McMahan, Carol Nelson, David Witte, Justin Witte, Waco, Hilltop Lakes, banned valedictorian, Sarah Sellers, salutatorian, Buster Mangham, Clifton Record, James Scott, Doug Holmes, Sue Wernecke, Laura Rose, John Cullar, Smith County, Noah Powell, Donnie Kinsey, Juanita Head, Aunt Sister, Billy Willis, Hank Thompson, John William Head, Billy Head, Sally Lee Allen, David Crockett Allen, Malinda Amira McMurry, Sally Head, Sue Lee, Kaitlan Head, Charles Head, Evan Moore, Bosque County News, KXXV, Channel 25, Channel 10, KWTX, cousins, Cold Springs, Proctor Springs, Cameron Park, Frank Curre Jr, Armistice Day, Veteran's Day, horseracing, horses, Waco High School, West Junior High, Brook Avenue Elementary, uncertified teachers, discrimination, favoritism, violated rights, nepotism, Normangee, Bryan, Lover's Leap, Gaplionlover, Heart of Texas Fair, Tyler, 2220 North 4th Street, 2224 North 4th Street, and too many others to name.

Hopefully, this will help find my journal. Thank you for reading it!!!!

Fall and It's About Time!

Fall is here, finally! I am ready for some cool weather,as this was a really hot Teaxas summer...though not as hot as it could have been, as we had fewer one-hundred-degree-plus days than usual.

Cooler nights and days mean geese flying over, going south for the winter..haven't seen many yet, only out in front of some of the cooler weather......The American Indians always said that the higher the geese fly, the colder the winter will be. The few geese I have heard and seen were flying really low, so that's good in a way..really hard on all the outsdie animals when we have a hard winter. The flipside of not too cold a winter is that it is not cold enough to kill all the bugs it should! So....guess we will just take what we can get!!!!

Just a Note: For anyone looking for information on this blog concerning Carla Sigler, Kaitlan Head-- the banned valedictorian-- and the Cranfills Gap school or the Cranfills Gap school board, such information will still be contained in previous blogs and was a part of my blog that was moved to this new website when AOL journals were closed down by AOL in October 2008. All of my journal, Blast from the Past, was moved to Blogger.com at that time. Sorry for the inconvenience to anyone.

Either way you flip it, I am ready for Fall!!!!!!!

My Aunt Sister's Memories

My Aunt Sister was born Juanita Blanche Head on March 31st, 1921, in a woodframe dogtrot house in the Winona/Sandflat/Red Springs area of Smith County, Texas, near Tyler and Lindale. I have a photo of that dogtrot house --taken in 1909 when the house was new--with my grandfather Billy (John William Head), my grandmother Sallie Lee Allen Head, and my uncle Perry Head--just two years old-- standing in front of it.

My father, Ralston Cecil Head, was one of Sister's older brothers and the brother closest to her in age, and they were close all their lives. Ralston had been born in 1917 in Waco, Texas, in a house on St. Charles Street. Almost all the Head childen had been born at Winona. Of course, all children were born at home in those days, with the doctor--if any--coming to the house for the birth of the child.

Aunt Sister had many wonderful memories of life in Texas when she was a child in the 1930's and 1940's in Waco. She remembered her mother (Sallie Lee Allen Head) doing all her cooking on a big black cast iron woodburning cookstove. Delicious and wholesome food was one of Sister's best memories...that, and Family and lots of people, friends and neighbors, in and out of the old house the Heads lived in at 2224 North 4th Street. Even after the Head family moved permanently to Waco in the 1920's, breakfast was always bacon, ham, or sausage, eggs, and biscuits--never toast-- and homemade jelly, with fresh milk, butter, and cream straight from the family cow. The coffee pot was always perking on the stove, as the Heads drank coffee, not Tea.

Dinner and supper might be chicken-fried steak, fried chicken, or pork chops, biscuits or cornbread, with plenty of fresh vegetables from the huge garden behind the house. What was not consumed right away was canned or preserved for the winter months when there was no garden. Everybody took their turn working in the garden, hoeing and pulling weeds, or just watering the tender plants. Sister's mother, known as Mama Head, was a wonderful cook and did all the cooking, plus all the chores --the gardening, milking the cow, washing clothes, making lye soap, canning--basically whatever needed doing. Mama Head made beautiful patchwork quilts from scrap fabric that adorned the iron bedstead and sewed clothes, too..

All of the Head children first attended Brook Avenue Elementary Public School, until the sixth grade. Mama Head was a member of the PTA and would come to school to visit each of her seven children, coming early so she would be able to spend about ten minutes with each one. Sister remembered having to heat water over a fire to bathe for school, as their old house did not have running water, and certainly not hot water. In the summer, a kid seldom took a bath--- you just went to the nearby Brazos River to swim and get clean at the same time, or just down the hill to Cold Springs to cool off and get clean.

In Waco in those days there were only West Junior High School and South Junior High School--North Junior High did not exist at that time. All the Head kids went to West Junior, then on to Waco High School, the only high school in town. Sister's youngest brother, Durward Allen Head, also known as "Son Head", was a superb athlete at Waco High School. When I attended school there in the 1960's, the principal, Mr. Carpenter, asked me if I was kin to Son Head. I told him yes, Son Head is my uncle, my daddy's brother. Mr. Carpenter said Son Head was one of the best athletes to ever attend Waco High School. None of the schools had airconditioning or any of the luxuries we have today that we so often take for granted. All the kids from the same neighborhood would meet and walk to school together and then walk home again in the aternoon. School was a rather fun place to be---at home there were chores--- and all the Heads liked learning how to read, write, and cipher.

Aunt Sister said that when she was about ten years old, in the summertime she would go to Winona, a small town near Tyler, Texas, with her Aunt Laura and Uncle John Talbert, who lived there. They would bring a load of sweet potatoes in their truck to be sold in Waco. They would sometimes stay a week with Billy and Sally Head, then go back to Tyler. Sister would go with them with them to Winona for the week until her parents would come to visit Uncle John and Aunt Laura, or another trip to Waco was planned. Many family members still lived near Tyler, and they would visit back and forth. Almost every weekend, some of the Head family went to Winona.

Aunt Sister said some of the Head kinfolks were the first to have a car. William Lee Brady was a cousin to me. I did not know William Lee very well as he was older than me and ran around with my older cousin Sally Frances Head, whose parents were my Aunt Dixie Denton Head and Uncle Red (David Rankin) Head. William Lee later had one of the first air-conditioned cars, and all the cousins loved to ride around with him, even if it was just in the pasture! Williiam Lee's family raised roses and watermelons. You always came back from a visit to Winona with plenty of both in your trunk! Sister remembered when William Lee was born and saw him and my older cousins grow up.

Aunt Sister died at the age of 85 on September 5th, 2006, having lived a long and full life, full of memories of a time long ago.

The Last Liberator

Oxford, Iowa-------James Hoyt, Sr., the last of four American soldiers who found the German Concentration Camp Buchenwald on April 11, 1945, has died at the age of 83. James, a true American hero, was buried in a military graveside service on August 14th, 2008, in Oxford, Iowa. 

James Hoyt, Sr. was born in 1925 in Oxford, Iowa, where he lived all his life. After coming home from World War II, James married the love of his life, Doris, raised their six children, and was a mailman for over thirty years.

 At the age of nineteen, James was one of four soldiers of the U.S. Army, Sixth Armored Division, who discovered Buchenwald, one of Germany's concentration camps, which was well-hidden in deep woods.

Along with three other U. S. Army, Sixth Armored Division soldiers-- all Americans--James was one of the first Liberators of Buchenwald.  The discovery by American forces of Buchenwald saved the lives of many thousands of starving and dying people who were prisoners of Nazi Germany.

These first Liberators saw firsthand the unspeakable horrors the Germans had inflicted on their prisoners......thousands of bodies piled high, human hearts that had been taken from living people in medical experiments, a lampshade made from the skin of a human arm--- because a German officer's wife liked the tatoo that was on that arm----unspeakable atrocities you had to see with your own eyes to believe.  

James, a humble and unassuming family man, seldom spoke of those horrors and--sixty-three years later--still suffered from Post Traumatic Syndrome. Until recently, few knew James' story. However, a book, "The Oxford Project" will be soon be available to the public that details his remarkable experiences.  

With the passing of James Hoyt, Sr., all four of the American soldiers known as the Liberators of Buchenwald are now dead. 

Secretary of the United States Army Pete Geren, said that heroes like James Hoyt and the sacrifice James Hoyt and so many others like him had made for their country so many years ago should not be forgotten.

Secretary Geren said,  "It's the memory of heroes like James Hoyt and the memories of what they've done that we must ensure that we keep alive and share with the current generation and future generations. Mr. Hoyt, as a young man, saw unspeakable horrors when he was one of the soldiers to discover Buchenwald Concentration Camp, and these are experiences as a country and a world we can never forget." 

James Hoyt, Sr. declined the opportunity to attend the Fiftieth Anniversay of the Liberation of Buchenwald Concentration Camp, saying it would bring back too many horrific memories.

 On the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Liberation of Buchenwald Concentration Camp, one of the liberators who was with James Hoyt, Sr.,  --Frederick Keffer--  had participated in that event. Though now deceased, Captain Frederick Keffer, U.S. Army, Sixth Armored Division---- in speaking of the horrors of Buchenwald and what it meant for the world--- wrote these words:

"MEMORIES OF EVIL GET ERASED, FOR LIFE MUST GO ON, AND NEW GENERATIONS CANNOT BE LOCKED IN THE PAST. BUT THEY WOULD DO WELL TO REMEMBER THE PAST."

My own father, Ralston Cecil Head, was a Medic with thirteen battle stars. Ralston was a veteran of the slaughter of the bloody North Africa Campaign. Ralston was also a true hero of World War II. My father always said that if we are to learn from the past, we must remember the past and the evil therein, and do what we have to do to stop that evil, to make sure it never happens again.

Wise words from wise men.

Farewell, James Hoyt, Sr., True American Hero. I salute you and all the other American heroes in our military---our veterans--living and dead--and our brave soldiers of today, ever vigilant for our Freedom.

 God Bless America.

 

A New Place

Great News!

Dale Heitmiller has a new restaurant in Hubbard, not that far from Waco! It is known as "Dale ""OUTLAW"" Heitmiller's Restaurant" and seats about sixty people.

I haven't had a chance to get over that way and eat there yet, but I know the food and atmosphere will be totally awesome! Dale learned from the best-- his parents, Donna and K.K. Heitmiller, who ran the fabulous Heitmiller Steakhouse in Elm Mott for so many years.

My bestest and oldest friend ---since we were both four years old---Sandra Gunter Krumnow and I have eaten twice at Heitmiller's Steakhouse on I35 since it has been under the new ownership, and it is still the same excellent dining experience as it was before the new ownership. The restaraunt has been renovated and a few nice changes made, improving on a good time eating-out, if that is possible.

I am so glad Heitmiller's Steakhouse will still be here in Elm Mott, as it is very handy for Sandra and me when we want to get together over a good meal. I also wish Dale and Donna, his mother, the best of luck in their new venture in Hubbard. I know they will work hard to make it a great experience to dine at their new place. 

Donna Heitmiller and Dale Heitmiller both have the knack of knowing how to provide great food and how to please the customers and make them feel welcome so they will want to come back time and again. And that is the secret to doing business successfully, especially the restaurant business.

 I look forward to dining at Dale's new restaurant in Hubbard one day soon. 

Best of luck, Donna and Dale, on this new venture! 

A Little Confusion

I ran into an old friend today and  told him I planned to go eat at  Heitmiller's Steakhouse while it was still there. My friend said he eats there a lot, and it was still the same great food and great atmosphere--that K.K. would be proud.

As he understood it, however, Heitmiller's would still be there, but it would be harder to get to, as the side road would be only one way, not two way, as it is now. So, I hope I did not create any confusion about Heitmiller's still being there in 2009. It is too good a thing to not be there!  

Hopefully, my buddy is right that it will still be there, just  a little bit hard  to get to is all! I apologize if I created any confusion.  Heitmiller's Steakhouse is a Waco tradition we would all greatly miss!

Heitmiller's Steakhouse

I met K.K. and Donna Heitmiller back in the 1980's when they first opened Heitmiller's Steakhouse, a wonderful restaurant with great food and  a great atmosphere. They and their son, Dale Heitmiller, made the place what it was--just totally awesome! Heitmiller's Steakhouse was always on the top of the Waco steakhouses and restaurants listings, and was known as THE PLACE TO GO for a great meal, great surroundings, and a memorable dining event. 

Usually it was K.K. who would come around to each table and ask how every little thing was. If he knew you--and he knew almost everyone who came in, or he would soon know you, and would never forget you--- or you wanted to visit with him, he would take a seat at your table and visit or get acquainted.

K.K. had worked as a top car salesman at Steakley Brothers Chevrolet in Waco many years ago, and thus already knew a lot of people from Waco and the surrounding area.  K.K. had worked at Steakley with my cousin, Billy Merritt, who, along with his wife Dorothy Lewis Merritt,   has sold cars for many years at his own business, Lake Air Motors, located on Franklin Avenue in downtown Waco. I think Billy's son, Stephen Merritt, mostly runs the business now.

Yep, Donna, K.K., and Dale always made a visit to Heitmiller's Steakhouse not just enjoyable, but very special. At Heitmiller's, there was always great food, a great place, and a great friendly and personal atmosphere where you always felt welcome. You just about felt like Family!

After K.K. died a few years ago, Donna and Dale still made you feel like family. It was the same atmosphere and great food. K.K. would have been proud that his legacy of great food, friendly atmosphere, and that family feeling  had been carried on.

I ran into Dale one day last year, and he told me that Heitmiller's Steakhouse had been sold. Dale said that the State of Texas was going to take the part of the side of Interstate 35 that Heitmiller's sat on --for the widening of the highway by 2009--so he and his mother had decided to go ahead and sell the place now.

For many years, my bestest old friend and my childhood dearest friend, Sandra Gunter Krumnow, and I had metonce a month or so to eat at Heitmiller's Steakhouse, to catch up with each other's happenings in our lives and just enjoy a good meal at a good price. We usually ordered one of the Senior Specials--a juicy, delicious small steak with all the trimmings at a very right price for our pocketbooks! We would sit and reminisce about the good times in our past. Heitmiller's is also where much of the planning for our Waco High School Class of 1964 40th Reunion in 2005 took place.

 I met my dear friend, Sandra, at the ripe old age of four, when she and her family moved to a house two blocks down North 4th Street from my house at 2220 North 4th Street. Sandra and I rode our tricycles and our bicycles together and spent very few hours apart. I can't tell you how many hours we spent at her house playing ping-pong on the screened-in front porch! We were friends all through school, and we have stayed in touch all these years.  We have been best buds since 1950, literally eons ago!  Let's see...that's a friendship of 58 years! Doesn't seem that long when you have lived it.....just seems a long time when you say it!

Sandra's house on North 4th Street is still there---right across from the old Waco High School Athletic Field. That place is now the Giraffe, Elephant, Rhinocerous, etc part of the Cameron Park Zoo. The old house still looks good. It is catty-cornered to the beautiful white 1860's Georgian mansion called Earle-Harrison House, that fronts on North 5th Street.

Nell Pape, the Waco old-money-cotton- millionairess and Waco philanthropist, convinced the Historical Waco Foundation to save this wonderful piece of history. The huge two-story house was moved to the vacant lot beside Sandra's house in the 1960's or '70's.  Today, it is used regularly for weddings, receptions, parties, and all kind of events, as well as being a living history of the Old South.  

Sandra and I plan to go eat at Heitmillers sometime soon. We have not been there since the place sold. I am sure they still have great food, as they always have a crowded parking lot. I just don't know if the great atmosphere and the family feeling that was so impressive that came with K.K., Donna, and Dale as owners will still be there. We will just have to see. And have a steak while we're at it!

By the way, if you  like a good steak and a pleasant atmosphere, you might want to stop at Heitmiller's Steakhouse one day soon, as it appears it won't be there much longer, but will soon be only a thing of the past, as 2009 is just right around the corner!  

 

 

A Costly Incident

It can be said in most all places and in most all circumstances that enough money is a necessity. Money can usually accomplish many things that would not be possible without it. Sometimes money can buy influence and power. Money is pretty essential to whatever you want to do in today's modern world. It is said that money makes the world go 'round and that money talks. You have to have enough money to make it in our world today. It does seem to take a certain amount of money to survive, as even a kid today needs a little money.

 I have often been reminded to count my blessings that I live in the good ole United States of America, where--- as the rule rather than the exception-- one can receive medical treatment at a hospital in a life-threatening situation, whether you have the money for the treatment or not.

The incident of my daughter-in-law Esther Powell, my son Jimmy's wife, being bitten by the copperhead snake a few weeks ago reminded me to be truly thankful we are in America. In some third world countries, they would let you die if it were a matter of life and death if you did not have the means to pay for treatment to save your life.

Thankfully, Esther and Jimmy do have health insurance that will pay  two-thirds of the total cost of Esther's treatment for the snakebite. That's the good news, for both of them and for the hospital.  

The bad news is how much the total bill is going to be. The first-round of anti-venom for Esther cost $13,000 and the next three rounds cost $6,500 EACH. Add on the cost of the Emergency Room visit, and then three days in the hospital, and you are looking at a bill of between $42,000 and $50,000!!!!

Thankfully, Esther is doing very well, almost good as new. And in regard to all that money-- as my son Jimmy, Esther's husband put it--"Esther is worth it!!"  

 

Some Cast Iron Memories

A few summers ago, my daughter-in-law Spring, wife of my youngest son Bobby, asked me how to make Fried Squash. That dish had been served at one of the functions of her church, Ten Mile Baptist Church, a little white wooden-frame building way out in the country near Normangee, Texas, that her family has attended since the early nineteen hundreds. 

I often make Fried Squash when fresh yellow summer squash is in season. I call the dish "Summer Squash Coins"  because of the round shape of the golden-fried slices. To eat fried squash, I slather on the catsup-- no salt-- but tons of black pepper, just as I do with Fried Okra or Onion Rings. (For those with a salt-restricted diet, the catsup has more than enough salt for good taste.)

The way Fried Squash, Fried Okra, or Fried Onion Rings --actually anything deep-fried-- are made is quite simple and about the same. Probably folks have been cooking this way for centuries, as all are quick and easy dishes. But it is fried food, and for many of us today, that is a no-no. But if you want a food that brings back an old-fashioned taste, deep-frying vegetables is the thing. Almost any food can be and has been deep-fried by somebody, somewhere.

It's easy to make this squash dish. First, get out your iron skillet. I use my biggest skillet --the really heavy one stamped, "Wagner Ware--Twelve Inch Skillet--Made in the USA"--the one I don't use all that much any more, that takes two hands to hold it, and was my main skillet when I was cooking for my family of five at Hilltop Lakes back in the '70's and '80's. I bought it new in 1976, when Bobby was about a year old, and it is now a collectible, being it is "Wagner Ware."

 A word of caution about Cast Iron cookware:   Wagner Ware and Lodge are both good brands. Unless the iron cookware says "Made in the USA", don't buy it, as it is inferior iron and won't heat as well as American-made. Never buy an iron skillet with a wood handle either. Cast Iron cookware will be here for centuries, but the wood handle won't. Long ago, when a house would burn down, the only thing not burned up would be the cast iron cookware and the cast iron dog-irons used to hold logs in the fireplace.

Back to the cooking:   Next you fill the iron skillet with vegetable oil, about two inches or so deep. I like Wesson Oil, as I like corn oil best, but any vegetable oil will do. Due to corn being used to make the fuel Ethanol, the cost of anything with corn in it--whether horse feed, chicken feed, or cereal for the kids--is much higher than it used to be. Another factor in the price of any kind of goods is the outrageous cost of the petroleum products used to get it to the store---by truck, train, or whatever. 

My grandmothers, Ann Jones Ellison and Sally Lee Allen Head, and my mother, Marie Ellison Head, all cooked with homemade lard (pig fat), and then used Crisco when vegetable shortening came out. We sometimes used Mrs. Tucker's Shortening, too, but Mama like Crisco best. Crisco was also used by Mama and long-time family friend and childhood playmate of my daddy-- Cotton Kling, a very kind man that I loved dearly-- to make snow-white homemade lye soap in a big black cast iron kettle over a corncob fire.   

Pig lard was rendered from your own pig you had raised and butchered at home, which country folk did in America as late as the 1950's, and especially in World war II when meat was rationed, and you couldn't buy it if you were even able to find it for sale somewhere. 

In those days, there wasn't a grocery store on every corner like there is today. I personally think the availability and ease of obtaining food--lots of food, more than we really need--is a leading cause of the obesity epidemic in America. We no longer have to catch it, kill it, dress it, and then cook it--we just go buy it!  Way too easy to overeat with all that food right at hand, with no effort on our part.

 I am sure there were no "good fats"-- trans or otherwise-- in pig lard, but you used it because it was what you had or could afford to cook with. A lot of people loved the taste of foods cooked in lard or baked with lard, and you could buy it at the store if you didn't kill a hog. Even in today's modern stores, I have seen lard on the shelf, bought usually to make homemade tortillas.

 I remember the wonderful taste of homemade lard biscuits spread with lots of homemade butter and  homemade wild grape or red plum  jelly. Truly a feast to a  hungry little kid--- a simple treat, but, oh, so good!

Back to the cooking:  (I keep getting sidetracked with memories of how it used to be done!)     

 For deep-frying, you want to use an iron skillet, as it heats more evenly than any other kind. I cook ONLY with iron skillets and stainless steel. None of that nasty chemical non-stick Teflon stuff that peels -off -as- the- food -cooks -and -gives -you- cancer- because- you- have -eaten -Teflon -all -your -life for me! 

Course, you don't know what pan the food in a restaurant is cooked in, so we all probably eat a lot more of that Teflon chemical than is good for us. The fumes of Teflon coating when heated will kill a bird, so I can't help but wonder what happens when you eat it! That's one reason I'd rather cook my meals at home, though I do love to eat at Luby's or a good steakhouse. I don't like to cook in aluminum pans either. 

Now for how to make  "Fried Squash Coins":   

Once you have washed the summer squash, slice it thinly in coin shapes into a deep mixing bowl. It should be a bit wet, so add a little milk or water, just enough to moisten each slice. Then add a mixture of half flour--I use self-rising, but regular flour will do-- and half cornmeal to the squash, using a fork to turn the slices and evenly coat each one. Add more milk or more flour-cornmeal mix if needed, until each slice is coated. You don't want a batter to form, so don't use much milk or water. 

 NOTE: I don't usually measure anything --I just add what looks right. This is easy if you have been cooking for a long time, like me.  Also, I don't use any cornmeal--only flour--I like Self-Rising Flour best--- if making Onion Rings, chicken-fried steak, or fried chicken. The secret of a crispy crust on the steak or chicken again is the hot oil. 

I have been told many times that I make the best chicken-fried steak and the best fried chicken, and I believe the crispy crust is what it makes it so delicious.  Many of my daddy's childhood friends told me the best chicken-fried steak they ever ate was cooked by my grandmother, Sally Lee Allen Head, back in the '20's and '30's, in an iron skillet full of hot lard, on a woodburning cast iron cookstove! 

On the stove, your oil in the iron skillet should now be hot. You want the oil pretty hot but not smoking, so the flour coating on whatever you are cooking--chicken-fried steak, fried chicken, fried squash--whatever-- will form a crust the minute it is dropped in.  My grandmother Mama Head would sprinkle a few drops of water into the hot lard.

 I swear I also remember her spitting into the lard, if her hands were full, to see if it were hot enough yet! I assume the hot oil would kill any germs, but I don't recommend that practice today.  If it sizzles but is not smoking, the oil will be hot enough. HOT OIL is the secret to a crispy crust!

 Once the squash is in the hot oil and not overcrowded-- so each slice will brown-- you MUST stay right beside it, as the thin slices will cook very quickly. Turn once, cook to desired crispness, remove from skillet with a slotted spoon, and drain on lots of paper towels. Serve immediately as the crispiness is lost quickly. This dish takes a little more effort than we modern Americans are used to, but is well worth it.

 For many years--just as most Americans did-- the Head family had a huge garden and grew all their own fresh vegetables...tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, squash, okra, carrots, radishes, lettuce, corn, Green Beans, Blackeyed Peas, Crowder Peas, Idaho potatoes, little round red new potatoes, and even watermelons and cantaloupes. Back then, no one had to worry about Salmonella or E-Coli contaminating their vegetables.  Unlike today, Mama Head didn't need the Federal Drug Administration to tell her anything, as she knew exactly where those vegetables came from and knew they were safe to eat.

 Though I was very young, I have memories of Mama Head cooking and baking on her big, black cookstove made of cast iron. There was always a stack of cut wood on the back porch or in the back hallway, ready to be fed into the cookstove.  Beside it-- and beside the smaller cast iron pot-bellied stove used for winter heat-- there was a wooden box filled with small pieces of wooden boxes that had held produce such as apples, oranges, or grapefruit.  

I liked to look at the pictures --usually a horse head or a pretty lady--on the paper labels on the produce boxes. When broken up into small pieces, the soft, thin wood of those produce boxes made perfect kindling,  necessary for starting a fire or controlling the temperature of the stove's heat. To my very young mind, it was just amazing that you could put plain old wood--kindling and little tree logs --into that big old cookstove, and it came out food!

Hope you enjoy your Fried Squash! 

Happy 232nd Birthday, America!

Congratulations, America, on achieving your 232nd birthday!

In 1776, Colonial America was considered a foolish upstart whose goal of freedom and independence from mother country England would never be attained. The rest of the world certainly never thought America --as a country-- if achieved at all, would last long. 

Our American ancestors had a dream of Liberty and Independence for the United States of America. Their dream was to create a new way of life--Freedom--in a new country, unlike anything that previously had existed in the world.   

Facing seemingly insurmountable odds, those Colonial Americans never gave up on their dreams and did all within their power to make their dreams reality. They had Faith, Hope, and Courage that seemingly impossible things could be accomplished.

 We Americans of today can take a page from those early American country-makers to overcome our current problems. We can continually strive to make the world a better place for ourselves, our descendents, and the rest of the world.   

History tells us the way to peace and prosperity in a country like ours is really fairly simple:  Make good laws, follow the laws, and do the right thing. So many of our troubles--as a people and as a country-- stem from someone not following the law and failing to do the right thing. 

I believe those Colonial Americans would whole-heartedly approve of those who have the courage to speak out against injustice and fight for what is right, just as they themselves did 232 years ago. As a result of their bravery, the impossible was accomplished, and that upstart-- the United States of America-- flourished and became the greatest country on Earth.  

One of the lessons of every Fourth of July--America's Birthday--Independence Day--is that, no matter the circumstances, we--- as Americans,  unique and special folks in this unique and special country---still strive to make good laws, follow those good laws, and do the right thing. 

One of the best strengths of the greatness of America is our ability to be one country, in spite of our many differences. United we stood Long Ago, before we were a country. United we stood as a country in the Past. United we stand as a country Today. United we will stand as a country through the Ages.

Happy Birthday, America! I wish you many, many more!

Remembering a Special Someone

While reminiscing, my daughter, Jon Marie, said she had two special memories of a special someone, that someone being Donnie Kinsey, the young man who became a great cowboy and that I wrote about in my previous entry.

Like all of us, Jon Marie said she had many memories of Donnie, but two remembrances stood out the most. One special memory is of Jon Marie, her brother Jimmy, and Donnie raising orphan calves on the bottle in the horse barns and pens beside the Cracker Barrell at Hilltop Lakes back in the late  1970's. (Note: My last child, a son, Robert Lee Powell-- aka "Bobby" --was born in 1975 at Madisonville, Texas, after we had lived several years at Hilltop Lakes.)

A huge cattle spread, Granada Ranch, was just up the road, and sometimes a mama cow would not take her calf, or would have twin calves, but would only take one, or the cow would die giving birth to the calf. When that would happen, the ranch foreman would give my kids the calves to raise on the bottle.

The baby calves were a special attraction for many a city kid visiting Hilltop who loved being allowed to hold the milk bottle while the baby calf nursed from it. Jon Marie and Jimmy liked having the calves, especially since wanna-be-a-cowboy Donnie Kinsey was always available to help, and Donnie made everything more fun. 

 About three years older than Jon Marie, Donnie liked all animals, but horses and cattle best. Like my own kids, Donnie enjoyed country living, being in the great outdoors and a part of nature.

 Donnie taught most of the calves to lead and made big pets out of them. I have photographs of Donnie and my kids feeding the baby calves with a bottle as well as brushing and leading the calves. I remember one heifer calf named Princess, and she was treated like one. I think the calves enjoyed the kids as much as the kids enjoyed the calves. Raising the calves was a good lesson in responsibilty.

Jon Marie and Donnie have always been special friends. They both loved riding and took out many a trailride together. It wouldn't be a stretch to say they were sweet on each other, but they really never dated, as Donnie was three years older. Each knew the other was someone special to them, almost family, in fact.

When it was time for Jon Marie to graduate from High School, she wanted to ask Donnie, her special friend, to be her date for Senior Prom. At that point, however, Donnie had been out of school for a while and wasn't living the school life anymore. Donnie had a job and was living in the real world now. Jon Marie thought he would say No, so instead, she asked Jon Whitney from Cranfills Gap to be her prom date. 

Jon Whitney was a classmate and running buddy of Jon Marie's cousin, Robbie Wooten. Jon Marie spent several weeks each summer visiting her Aunt Sue and cousins Robbie and Amy, in Cranfills Gap and was acquainted with many of the Gap young people.

One friend and classmate of Robbie's, Doug Hunter-- a handsome George Strait lookalike-- in particular had a crush on Jon Marie. It was fun to run around the Gap with Robbie and his buddies Justin Tergerson, Jon Whitney, and Doug Hunter, and whoever else happened to drop by.

Some of the Gap boys even came to visit Jon Marie and our family at Hilltop Lakes.  Robbie is my nephew, my sister Sue's son, and he and my son Jimmy were always close, as Robbie is just six months older. Robbie and his buddies liked to play golf at the Hilltop Lakes Golf Course.

A favorite memory we all have is of Jon Whitney, when they went to the Golf Pro Shop, the man asked Jon his name three times, and three times Jon said, "JON!" Finally, the man said what is your FULL name, and then Jon said Jon Whitney. We teased Jon for years about having just ONE NAME----JON!!!!

Jon Whitney was very pleased to accompany Jon Marie to her prom, though Donnie Kinsey had been her first choice. Jon wore a white John Travolta-style suit and his vest matched Jon Marie's turqoise dress.  They were quite the attractive couple and had a really good time.

Jon Marie will be talking to Donnie Kinsey sometime soon. Though their paths went separate ways, they kept up with what was happening in each other's lives. I know it will be a time for special memories for both of them. You never forget the dear old friend who was someone special to you, who meant a lot to you,especially in your childhood days. They will have a lot of happy memories to talk about when reminiscing about the good old days.  

"I Want To Be a Cowboy!"

 Hilltop Lakes Resort City in the 1970's  was a unique place where folks could buy a lot, or even a house and a lot, and then enjoy all the amenities of being a property owner.  Located centrally and about the same distance from both  Dallas and Houston and just off Interstate 45, Hilltop Lakes has been a top vacation spot from the early 1960's to the present.

 Hilltop Lakes has a Texas-shaped swimming pool, a nice restaurant and lodge, an awesome golf course, beautiful lakes for fishing, boating, and swimming, a patio for showing outdoor movies, and hundreds of deer everywhere. It is still a great place to visit, take vacations, or live.

When my husband Noah Powell, my daughter Jon Marie, my son Jimmy, and I moved to Hilltop Lakes in 1970, it was officially to run the Quarter Horse Races and train Quarter Horses year round at the racetrack. We ended up running the Riding Stables and taking out Trail Rides and putting on Hayrides, too. We managed all the horse barns and pastures and handled anything that had to do with horses at Hillltop. 

 I ran the Cracker Barrell, a gameroom full of old nickel pinballs lining the walls and green-plush-topped twenty-five-cents-a game pool tables in the middle.  Back then, folks dropped their little four and five-year-old kids off at the Cracker Barrell --with a handful of change-- to stay all day and play games, knowing they would be watched and be safe. In that day and age, Hilltop Lakes was a wonderful place to visit and to live. Many of these youngsters loved to spend the day playing with my little son, Bobby Powell, born in 1975 at Madisonville, Texas, who stayed with me at the Cracker Barrell.

With four or even five trail rides going out in one day in the spring, summer, and fall, Noah and I stayed busy leading the rides. In the peak summer season, we always hired  teenage boys or girls to lead the hourlong trailride as it wound through the woods and by the picturesque lakes. Our trailride leaders either had their own horses or would ride one of ours and were usually good riders who had a lot of experience with horses. 

One summer day, someone really special came into our lives. I remember it happening this way:    

 I noticed a handsome little boy who looked to be about twelve years old hanging around the Cracker Barrell. This kid had lots of dark curly hair and was very polite. I realized he especially seemed to like the trailride horses, petting them and picking grass for them to eat. Between trailrides, the fifteen or twenty trailride horses were kept in a big corral, still saddled, but with their bridles removed, so they could have access to all the fresh water they might want on those hot summer days.

You could tell this skinny little kid really liked horses. After the third day of hanging around and sizing up the horses and the way things were done, this kid came up to Noah and me and introduced himself. I will never forget what he said:   "Hi, my name is Donnie Kinsey. I just moved here from Houston, and I want to be a cowboy! And I want a job taking out the trailrides!"

Laughing, but liking his looks and polite manner, Noah and I looked at each other, both of us thinking-- due to his size-- he wasn't old enough to be hired to take out trailrides. Donnie told us he was older than he looked, so Noah asked him if he had ever ridden a horse. He replied with a firm No, but he knew he could ride a horse-- It didn't look that hard! 

So we went outside to the corral where one of the rent horses, a blazefaced bay gelding with four white feet, was tied to the fence. This particular horse was named Dynamite, and there was a reason he was named Dynamite. If you got him away from the rest of the horses, he could be difficult to ride. He would rear up a little bit and keep rearing up until he was back with the other horses, usually scaring his rider half to death.  Only an experienced rider was ever put on Dynamite.

Noah looked at Donnie and said, "This horse is named Dynamite. Untie him, get on him,  ride him down to the racetrack, and ride him back. If you can do that, I might just hire you!"  Donnie untied Dynamite, hopped on him, and started kicking him to get him to move. Dynamite moved off a little way, then, as usual, began his rearing up, trying to come back to the barn and the rest of the horses.

However, Donnie was not having any of that and instinctively pulled Dynamite's head so he would keep going in a circle-- just as an experienced rider would have done. For a full five minutes, Dynamite tried to have his way, but Donnie wouldn't let him. Finally Dynamite gave up, and Donnie rode him down to the track and back without a problem, pulled up in front of us, and jumped off.

"Well, do I have the job or not?" he asked.  Noah said, "How old are you?"  Donnie answered back, "I'm older than I look!" We all laughed, and Noah told him he was hired. Donnie WAS older than he looked, and he turned out to be one of our best trailride leaders as well as a wonderful, dear friend to our children and to us.

Donnie fulfilled his dream of being a cowboy. He has been foreman and ranch manager for some of the biggest ranches in the country and even managed a big ranch in a foreign country. He is an expert on cattle and horses. It was a great honor that Donnie always gave the credit (or the blame, as his family put it!) for his becoming a cowboy to Noah Powell, his ideal cowboy, and to me, Dorothy Powell, his ideal cowgirl, all those many years ago.

Time passed, and things changed. I moved back to Waco in 1985, and had not seen Donnie until about three years ago, when old-time horsetrader and dear friend Alton Thornton called me one night. Alton said some man said he knows you, and this man looks like Tom Selleck. ( Just by that, I knew it had to be Donnie, as he made a very handsome man and could be Tom Selleck's double!) Alton said this man wants your phone number, that you and Noah Powell are the reason he is a cowboy!

And that is how Donnie Kinsey came back into my life again. I kept up with Donnie and knew he and his family had moved back to the Bryan area, but hadn't heard much lately. I knew his daughter, Brianna, loved horses, too-- just like her daddy did as a kid--  and that she was a cowgirl, just like Donnie was a cowboy.  I knew that Donnie kept and rode good horses and still lived the cowboy life. 

A few days ago, my friend in Bryan called and said she had news about Donnie. Her daughter, Tina, who went to school with Donnie and my kids, had just gotten word that Donnie has cancer. It had started in his kidneys and apparently is now inhis blood. The classmate who told Tina was asking that Donnie be put on all their prayer lists, so it doesn't sound good for Donnie.

 Donnie is about  46 or so years old now. All of us who know and love him are praying for that skinny little kid we remember, who is a natural horseman and who became the great cowboy he wanted to be.  I know I will never forget the privilege of having such a wonderful kid who made such a wonderful man calling me Friend.     

Update:     My oldest son Jimmy Powell and his little son, Noah E. Powell ( named for Jimmy's cowboy daddy), went to visit Donnie not long ago. Donnie was very upbeat, with a courageous and positive attitude of savoring every moment and living every day the very best you can. And that was always what the boy Donnie and the man Donnie were all about anyway.

Donnie had the bad kidney removed and is undergoing radiation. As I understand it, the cancer that started in the kidney is now in the bone marrow. Nadell, Donnie's mother and my dear friend of many years, had the same thing a few years ago, but hers was detected early on. Nadell had the kidney removed and is doing fine.  

Recently, a childhood friend of Donnie's also visited with him. John Bullard Johnson, who now lives in Oregon but grew up with all the Hilltop Lakes gang, said Donnie told him he was going to fight this thing with all the power that he, the Lord God, and the Great Spirit of the Cherokee Nation could muster! Donnie, never forget that many, many people love you and our prayers are with you.

A Special Blessing for you, Donnie:                  

The Lord bless and keep you and make His face to shine upon you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and grant you Peace.

With much love, always, from your second mother, Dorothy, and your second family, the Powells.